Return of the Champion
by MaidMarian17
Summary: It's been four years since Sarah conquered the Labyrinth and the newly graduated senior finds that no matter how hard she's tried, she can't seem to forget her friends or the man that's been haunting her dreams ever since she came back. Will her need to see him again overcome her fear of what will happen if she returns to the Labyrinth?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own squat. Nothing of Labyrinth or anything that could be remotely recognizable is mine. Sadly. **

**Also note: this is my first fan fiction and reviews would be very much appreciated :D**

Ch. 1 Going Home

The school bell rang and an audible cheer could be heard resounding throughout the Theater classroom. Sarah sighed. She had made it through the day and now her senior year was over. As she stood up and gathered her things to leave, she found herself oddly sad to be leaving the place she had called home for the past three years of her life. All of her theater friends were planning a Senior Trip across the country before they went off to their respective collages, but Sarah couldn't get up the will to go. She still hadn't decided on a college and was now scared at the thought of having to apply last minute.

Walking out of the classroom, she noticed her best friend Laura and Laura's boyfriend Caldon walking hand in hand towards her.

" Hey babe!" Laura exclaimed. " Can you believe our senior year is over? Have you decided what you're going to do now?"

Sarah smiled and said, " No I think I'm going to take a break from school and try to spend the summer with Toby." That meant that she also had to spend time with her stepmother but that's something she'd endure when the time came.

" Oh, yeah that'll be fun! I mean, not nearly as fun as taking a road trip across the country.." Laura dragged, "but maybe that's just me..." She said with a smile.

Sarah laughed and grinned. After her encounter in the underground, she had barely let Toby out of her sight even though it had been four years since she had been through the Labyrinth. Surprisingly that meant that she hadn't had any physical contact with her friends for four years either, other than the short talks she'd had with them through her mirror. She missed them. No one really understood her like Hoggle, Ludo could always be counted on to cheer her up, and Sir Didymus's lovely word choice made her feel special no matter how her day had gone. Maybe she'd try to spend more time with them. Hmmm...

"HELLO! SARAH, ARE YOU STILL WITH US?" Laura was waving her hand in front of Sarah's face and talking loudly.

" Huh?" Oh, sorry." Sarah said sheepishly. "I guess I must have zoned out. "

" Yeah. For about five minutes! I've been trying to convince you to come with me on the trip, but I think when someone doesn't even notice that they've already walked out to their car, maybe a road trip isn't the best senior activity for said person." Laura said pointedly but with a hint of smile just so Sarah could tell she wasn't really angry.

Were they really outside? Sarah blinked a few times before what her best friend said really struck a chord. Laura was right, they were already standing by Sarah's car.

Sarah smiled apologetically. "I really am sorry Laura. I was just lost in thought, but you're right, a road trip probably isn't the best senior adventure for me, especially if I'm the one with the map. We'd never get home." she said laughing.

" That's the truth!" Laura replied chuckling. "But seriously babe, I'm gonna miss you."

"Yeah I'm going to miss you too." Sarah said sighing. " But no worries, you can tell me all about it when you get back."

" Alright. Then I guess this is goodbye for now... Don't worry though, I'll send lots of postcards and take tons of pictures." Laura said sarcastically. They both knew that she was horrible at remembering anything, in fact Sarah would be astonished if Laura sent so much as a sticky note.

They both busted out laughing, gave each other a hug and got in their cars. As Sarah was driving home all she could think about was whether or not she was going home or leaving.

**I know that this is really short, but trust me, chapter length WILL be longer. I mostly wanted this chapter to really "set the stage" for my story, so again, trust me. It will get better! I promise! ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: again I own nothing of anything that's remotely Labyrinth related. Such a shame really. **

**I would like to thank all the people who gave my first fanfiction a chance. If I could I would bake all of you brownies ;D**

**I actually have a shout out for tazzledmuch who Lovingly added my story to the subscription list! Love ya! You're phenomenal!**

Ch 2. Dreams and Lullabies

It had been two weeks since Sarah had left high school and her and Toby had been trying to find ways to entertain themselves. Toby was always asking Sarah to tell him stories and Sarah was always trying to find ways to avoid telling them. Today, Sarah was almost glad that it was raining, that meant that it was curl up with a good book and hot chocolate day. That also meant that Toby spent the entire day watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and eating string cheese. As the day ended and Toby was put to bed, Sarah found herself thinking about the people and friends she had left behind in the underground. What were they doing? Did they miss her?

"Well, I guess there's only one way to answer that question..." she muttered as she stood to walk towards her vanity mirror. She sat down on her stool debating over whether or not she should call out to her friends before she decided to just go for it. She really did miss them and it had been at least two years since she had last heard their voices. Just as she was about to say Hoggle's name, lightning cracked across the sky and lit up her room with the brightness that belongs to nature alone.

As She tried to calm her racing pulse the sound of small footsteps rapidly making their way to her room could be heard from the hall. Sarah closed her eyes and smiled as she heard her little brother creak open the door and walk over to where she was sitting.

"Sarah?"

"Yeah Toby?"

" Is it ok if I sleep with you tonight? I'm scared."

Sarah faked a gasp as she pivoted to look at him. "Don't tell me that my four year old brother is scared of a little thunder and lightning!" She said.

At the look on his face, Sarah smiled and winked at him before saying, "I'm just kidding Toby, of course you can sleep here tonight. Come on let's go."

She nodded towards the bed with a smile and they both made their way across the room. When they were comfortable and about to go to sleep, Sarah cast a longing glance towards the mirror.

"Tomorrow. Definitely tomorrow." she mumbled to herself before closing her eyes and falling into a deep sleep.

_There's such a sad love...deep in your eyes,a kind of pale jewel...opened and closed within your eyes...I'll place the sky within your eyes..._

_She was back. Wait a minute, she was back?! How was she back? She looked down at her clothes and saw her wearing that almost too familiar white dress. Only this time the top was tighter and slightly uncomfortable due to the fact that she'd filled out considerably over the last four years. Her hair was styled into intricate curls and she noticed the unfamiliar weight of make-up on her face._

_Everything was just how she left it when she had seen it last. The obscene masks on the faces of the other guests, and somewhere, Sarah knew, HE was here. She could sense it. That feeling on the base of her neck that warned her that someone was watching was making her entire spine tingle uncomfortably. As she turned, wanting to discover the source of her discomfort she saw him. Jareth. How could one person look so achingly beautiful? _

_At the moment he had his back to her and she took the opportunity to start making her way to the other side of the room while attempting to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Making her way through the endless myriad of silks and satin fabrics she reached the other end of the elaborate ballroom. Sarah had turned around to face the crystal wall trying to find something to smash it with, when she heard his haunting voice. Only this time, it was sounded closer than when she had entered. _

_There's such a fooled heart...Beating so fast in search of new dreams...a love that will last, within your heart...I'll place the moon within your heart..._

_Her back stiffened and her breath seemed to be caught in her throat. Crap. So much for her being incognito. As his voice quieted down to a whisper she felt the delicious weight of his arms slide around her waist as the Goblin King slowly turned her around to face him. _

_"Sarah.." He drawled appreciatively. "I've missed you."_

_How is it that the very person she'd been hiding from for the past four years could make her breathing falter just by uttering her name?_

_Sarah glanced up and met his eyes defiantly. Regardless of how he made her feel, if he thought that she was going to cave into him just because she was older, the high and mighty Jareth was sadly mistaken._

_At the look on her face he chuckled low in his throat. "I'm glad to see that you haven't changed in that regard dearest Sarah..."_

_His intense stare made her uncomfortable which then made her break eye contact to take a step backwards. _

_"This isn't real, it can't be. " she muttered to herself while shaking her head. _

_"Why not?" Jareth asked. _

_"Because right now I'm dreaming. Right now I'm sound asleep in bed and it's probably still raining, and this is more than likely just a figment of my imagination." She retorted. _

_As Sarah was rambling, Jareth closed the distance between them and smiled slowly. _

_"Sarah, just because you're dreaming doesn't mean this isn't real." he said to her as his hand reached up to caress her face. Slowly he tilted her face towards his._

_He gazed intently into her green eyes and just as she felt his lips graze hers, a strange pulling sensation came over her. She felt like she was being pulled away and suddenly everything around her went out of focus. _

_"Jareth? Jareth!" Sarah panicked as she called his name._

_"Don't worry Sarah, I'll be waiting." was the last thing she heard him say before she no longer knew where she was. _

"SARAH! SARAH! WAKE UP!" was the first thing she heard before hitting the floor.

"OW! Toby is everything ok?! What time is it?"

"it's still dark outside but you were screaming in your sleep and you wouldn't wake up so I pushed you off the bed!"

At the sound of how frightened her little brother sounded, Sarah took a deep breath of relief, climbed back into bed and hugged Toby.

"It was a bad dream buddy. I was just having a nightmare." she said soothingly, trying to calm him down.

"Everything's alright." Sarah said again this time more to reassure herself than her brother.

"Promise?"

"I promise. " she said as her heart began to return to its normal pace and she began to lower her eyelids. What had she been dreaming about again? Hmmm...it must not have been important.

Sarah yawned. She was starting to fall back asleep when she heard Toby start to talk.

"Sarah?"

"Yeah? What is it Toby?" she replied but her voice came out muffled as she was speaking with her mouth pressed against her pillow.

"Can I ask you a question?" Toby asked sounding curious.

"Go for it buddy.." She slurred.

"Who's Jareth?"

**Alrighty! That was chapter two and I should have chapter three up in a 2-4 days I promise! :D please please please PLEASE review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**:** I own nothing Labyrinth related. Pinky swear. ;)**

**However, I do owe my lovely lovely lovely fans some recognition!**

**Extra big shout out to: Little Sweetness, F. 78, Dunk234, Fanfiction Addict Princess, ilovemuffins, Vampyres 'R Me, and Aisling66! **

**And for everyone who took the time out of their busy day to read my story...BROWNIES! :D**

Chapter 3: Through the looking glass

Sarah bolted upright, all thought of sleep forgotten, and whipped her head around so that she faced Toby. Her heart was pounding as adrenaline coursed through her body.

"What did you say?" she asked in a soft whisper. Never had she heard his name outside of her dreams and frankly, it both thrilled and frightened her.

Toby flipped over on his side so that he faced her. "Who's Jareth? You were screaming his name in your nightmare..." he said sleepily.

Sarah looked at her little brother's face and could see that he was fighting to stay awake. As she composed herself, she answered shakily, "Someone I met a long time ago Toby...a long time ago. You were just a baby..."

"Oh..Sarah?" he murmured.

"Yeah bud?" she answered apprehensively.

"I love you."

She sighed in relief as she answered, "I love you too Toby. Now go back to sleep, it's..." she glanced at her glowing alarm clock, "3:30 in the morning. "

Toby fell asleep in the next five minutes, and all that Sarah could do was stare at the wall and listen to the rain pound against her window panes.

Lost in thought as she relieved her dream from a few hours ago, Sarah wondered what the Goblin King meant when he said that he would be waiting...because there was no way that she was going to let herself have those types of dreams again. She'd rather die of sleep deprivation.

Absentmindedly humming the song from the ballroom, she eventually noticed her room slowly becoming lighter as the sun crept up over the horizon. Had it already been four hours? How the time flies when you're scared to death...

Blinking and shaking her head to clear her mind of swirling gowns, haunting melodies, and disconcerting eyes, Sarah flipped her legs over the side of the bed and stood up.

Toby stirred and cracked one eye open before he groggily sat up and rubbed his eyes with his small fists.

Sarah aimed a fleeting smile at her brother. "Good morning sunshine, the earth says hello."

"Sarah, is mom up?"

"Probably not." She said smiling. In fact Sarah seriously doubted anyone she knew would be up at this hour. Yeah it was only 7:30, but during the summer, it might as well have been the freakin' crack of dawn.

"Will you make me breakfast? Please?" Toby asked pleadingly. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled loudly.

Laughing for the first time all morning, Sarah grabbed her brother's hand and led him down to the kitchen.

All that day, Sarah was jumpy and on edge. After trying to read some of her favorite plays, she realized that nothing she did could sufficiently distract her. As if her day couldn't get any worse, Toby was having an all day playdate with one of his friends and that meant that Sarah was stuck at home all day with her stepmother.

Six o'clock finally came around and after a day of petty bickering and general uneasiness due to her dream the night before, Sarah pleaded exhaustion and excused herself to her room. She had been trying to find a time when she could contact her friends, but sharing the same space with her stepmother had proven counterproductive to that idea. Now, finally, she could talk to Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo without the fear of being interrupted.

Sitting down in front of the mirror that was peppered with old photos and more recent pictures of her and Laura, Sarah closed her eyes. Why did she feel so nervous? They were her friends! Would they be happy to see her? Were they ever curious as to how here life had been going this past year? Had they missed her?

Her eyes became watery as she fought down the urge to cry. Keeping her eyes glued shut, she managed to say the three words before her glistening tears spilt onto her cheeks.

"I need you."

Hearing no response to her request, Sarah began to cry in earnest. She had just laid her head down onto her vanity when a small tug could be felt at her pants leg.

"My lady, art thou in need of a hug?"

Flipping her head up in an arc that sent her long, brown hair flying wildly, Sarah looked down at her foxy friend.

"Sir Didymus!" she exclaimed as she swooped down to hold her favorite knight. "You have no idea how good it is to see you!"

Pausing her tight hug with her old friend, Sarah glanced around the room expecting to see Ludo and Hoggle, but there was no sight of them.

"Sir Didymus...where are Hoggle and Ludo?" Sarah asked looking into the fox's eyes.

"Oh, but my lady, hast thou not heard the news? The kingdom art in turmoil ever since the wild gang made their way into the rest of the Labyrinth! Hoggle and Ludo hast been captured by those villains and no one hast seen them for three days...I Had just sent Ambrosius in search of my rock-calling brother and Hoggle, when I hearkened and heard the sweet sound of thine own voice calling for aid. "

Sarah's heart plummeted and she found it hard to breathe. She had only been away from the Labyrinth for four years and already everything was slowly crumbling. She couldn't believe the Goblin King would willingly let this happen! Wait...why WAS he letting this happen? As much as Sarah didn't want to admit this, what if something had happened to the Goblin King? No! The thought wasn't worth bearing. Even though he angered her and frightened her, she had begun to feel something for him. And if she ever found out that he had been sitting on his arrogant butt while her friends were put in danger, he had better hope he had a nice hideaway deep in the Underground, because so help her she would personally tear his Labyrinth down brick by sparkly brick looking for him.

"Sir Didymus that's horrible! Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked in a rush, terrified for her friends.

"My lady, anything short of your coming with me through your looking glass, I'm afraid that there art nothing thou can do to help. " he said looking very downcast.

Making up her mind, Sarah stated simply, "Then I guess I'll be coming with you. "

**AHhhh! I am SOO excited for this story! As always please please please feel free to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth. At all. Really. D**

**I would like to give some preliminary shout outs to..(drumroll please)...Jeni27, mearra, Julix121, fanaticallyFictitious, Aisling66, Anzera Fitzroy, and black-heart-green-eyes! You guys are fantastic and lovely and I love you! **

**To everyone else who took precious time out of their day to view my story, BROWNIES FOR EVERYONE! XD**

Chapter 4: Alone

Didymus stuttered, "But..but my lady! Do you think it wise?"

Did she? Sarah had earnestly attempted to forget those fateful thirteen hours ever since she had made it safely home, however unsuccessful that attempt had proved. Did she really want to go back now?

Sarah mentally slapped herself. Of course she would go back! Her friends could be in trouble and she couldn't live with the thought of never seeing Ludo and Hoggle again.

"Probably not." Sarah admitted. "But please understand...if I don't come with you I'll regret it for the rest of my life." She said decisively, effectively squashing any previous indecision. "

Inclining his head in respect, Didymus stated, "Thine honor and loyalty knows no bounds my lady."

"Verily! Off we go! The more time spent idly chatting is more time our friends art away." He said as he climbed up onto her vanity to get to her mirror.

Sarah loved his enthusiasm, but inwardly she frowned. She'd be leaving without any notice to Toby...and what would her family say when they found out she was gone?

"Hold on a minute Sir Didymus...let me write my family a note so that they know I'm okay."

Sarah hurriedly grabbed a scrap of lined paper from her desk and scribbled a note that was extremely vague. She cringed.

This was not the way she expected leaving home would be like. In her mind, she had imagined boxes filled with her stuff being loaded into a truck, before being carted off to an apartment. In her mind, she would be sad to leave, but confident in the knowledge that she would be back to visit. The way she was leaving now, with a hurried note, and no notice, was so NOT the way she wanted this to happen.

After she had finished, she sighed and turned around to follow Didymus.

"Follow me my lady and never fear, for I will protect thee with my life!" He exclaimed before jumping through the reflective glass.

Her mirror rippled and her nervousness returned. However, this time for an entirely different reason. Would Jareth be there? And what was the deal with her dream? Was it just a dream or had he really been there with her?

And more importantly, why did she feel sick to her stomach when imagining he was in trouble? She felt more for him than even she was willing to admit.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Sarah glanced determinedly at her mirror. "Well, here goes nothing..." She muttered under her breath.

Crawling through her mirror was NOT nearly as easy as Sir Didymus made it look, Sarah thought to herself. Not to mention how undignified it made her feel as she climbed onto the desk.

Traveling mirror-style was extremely disconcerting. Once she had stuck her arm towards her reflection, her entire body had been immediately transported onto the hard, unforgiving ground situated just outside the Labyrinth. Staggering a few paces before collapsing from dizziness, Sarah slammed her eyes shut to stop the Underworld from spinning.

When her head and stomach stopped reeling, Sarah propped one eye open. Yep. The spinning had stopped. Cautiously, she began to sit up.

"Ugh. I just know I'm going to feel that landing tomorrow." she said, grimacing as she mentally checked for any broken bones.

"Sir Didymus?" Receiving no answer she began to panic. "Sir Didymus!"

Frantically looking around her and noticing the absence of a certain foxy guide, Sarah began to feel slightly annoyed.

"Great. Just great." She stated dryly. "I made it back and now I'm alone. Awesome. "

Standing up and stretching, Sarah sighed resignedly. "Well wherever my friends are, they're not going to save themselves. "

Assessing her surroundings for the first time, Sarah noted that she was right next to the pond that Hoggle had been using when they had first met. She also noted that she was no longer thirsty.

Tearing her gaze away from the dirty, polluted pond, she surveyed the unending wall before her.

"The doors have to be around here somewhere..." she said thoughtfully.

Walking towards the Labyrinth wall, Sarah identified the enormous doors in front of her. They were closed. Double awesome.

Placing her hands on her hips Sarah stared angrily at the intimidating doors.

"There is no way I made it all the way back to the Underground to have the freakin' DOORS stop me! So...open sesame."

Apparently these door had never read Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Shame really. So much for plan A.

"Ugh!" Sarah huffed. Trying to remember how she had gotten in the last time, she recalled Hoggle pointing at them before they flew open.

Feeling incredibly silly, Sarah gestured wildly at the doors hoping that she could somewhat mimic Hoggle's motions. Giving up and turning around in order to find a vine that she could climb up, she began to walk away. As if on cue, the creaking of the doors sounded behind her.

"Haha. Very mature. " Sarah said scathingly.

Digging her heel into the ground she slowly pivoted and glared at the Labyrinth before defiantly striding through the doorway.

Confidence still going strong, Sarah turned right.

"Now remember what that cute blue worm in the red scarf said...there's openings all over the place..." She told herself while walking along the seemingly unending stretch of wall. Taking a leap of faith, Sarah suddenly hung a left and ran smack into the bricks.

"Triple awesome. "

Stopping for a minute to inspect the Labyrinth, she heard birds chirping. Now that she thought about it, the only birds she had seen in the Underground were black chickens and Sarah was pretty sure chickens didn't chirp.

Intrigued, Sarah followed the sound until she rounded a corner. Her jaw dropped open as she viewed the densely populated peach orchard.

"No. Freaking. Way."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: nothing Labyrinth related is owned by me. For realsies. ;D**

**Major Shoutouts to: She Who Dreams of Tomorrow, Princess of the Fae, coolgirl9680, and ! You guys are wonderful and fabulous!**

**Big shoutout to everyone else who read my story during their busy day! I love you all and CHOCOLATE BROWNIES FOR EVERYONE! XD**

Chapter 5: Just Peachy

Awestruck, Sarah stood staring uncomprehendingly at the image before her. There was enough peaches in this secluded area to feed the entire goblin city. Twice. How could she have missed this last time? An orchard like this definitely had to take up a major chunk of the intricate maze.

Stepping warily towards the cluster of trees, Sarah was surprised to find that she could no longer hear the sound of her shoes hitting stone. Glancing down, she found that she was standing on what had to be the greenest grass she had ever seen. The emerald stalks moved with a life of their own as they softly swayed to a nonexistent breeze.

With a mischievous glint in her eye, Sarah bent down to remove her shoes. Secretly languishing in the feeling of the springy blades of green, Sarah closed her eyes in contentment.

Why was she here again? Where was she? Did she even care?

Look how peaceful and serene this place is Sarah, she thought to herself. The peach blossoms were a becoming shade of pink and everywhere was a lingering peach fragrance.

Ludo would love this, she thought absentmindedly as she wandered further into the peachy paradise.

Hold the phone. Ludo! Hoggle! Sir Didymus! What was she doing?! She was here to save them, not to take a vacation!

Disgusted with herself, Sarah crammed her shoes back on her feet and began to sprint as fast as she could through the the deceiving getaway.

"This must be another one of the Labyrinth's tricks...and as far as tricks go, this is a pretty good one." Sarah admitted in between heaving breaths.

Slowing down only to catch her breath, a glint of something caught Sarah's eye. Hand on her knees and breathing heavily, Sarah squinted to get a better look at what she had seen.

Her heart plummeted and she broke out into a cold sweat. Jareth. Or rather, Jareth lying on the ground. Motionless.

Ignoring the burning in her lungs that came from already having run so far, she flung herself through the myriad of trees that had become troublesome obstacles towards his still body.

Stopping mere paces away from where he was lying, her legs finally gave out and she crumpled to her knees.

He was just sleeping. He had to be. He couldn't be dead...right? Banishing the thought from her head, she dragged herself closer. Placing her head on his chest she tried to feel the subtle movements of breathing.

After a few tense moments, she finally felt the steady rise and fall of his chest. Tears flowed freely down her face as she felt her heart settle back into its' normal rhythm. The adrenaline that had coursed through her body at the sight of the Goblin King now left her shivering from exhaustion.

He was asleep. But why wasn't he waking up? She had known people who were sound sleepers, but really, this was ridiculous. Normally, someone crying uncontrollably would wake even the soundest sleeper, and she really doubted that the Goblin King was that type of sleeper.

So what was Jareth's problem? Searching the area around them, Sarah found a peach that had a bite-sized chunk taken out of it. Damn.

Sarah screamed in frustration. She had sworn to herself that she would never taste a peach again. Ever. The last time she had struggled with remembering why she was in the Underground, and she feared a repeat performance.

"Okay...the peach will be plan B." Sarah told herself aloud. "Now to come up with a plan A..."

Sarah then proceeded to nudge, push, and even slap the Goblin King's face, but to no avail. Nothing she tried would wake him up, it only made her become more angry and frustrated.

"Ugh!" she cried as she fell to the grass beside him. Not wanting to go with her makeshift plan B, but acknowledging that she had little choice, Sarah felt her eyes tearing up again.

What if she forgot again? What if she couldn't make it out this time. Why did things like this always happen to her?

Sarah brightened. She wouldn't let herself forget! Determinedly looking around her, she picked up a fallen peach and squeezed until the sticky juice ran down her hands. Stretching her pants leg out in front of her, Sarah began to drip the names of her friends onto the material. Proud of her resourcefulness, she wiped the remaining liquid onto the stalks of grass around her.

Keenly aware of the searing pain in her legs, Sarah haltingly stood up and plucked a ripe peach from a tree. Drugged peaches they may be, but if this is what it took to wake up Jareth, then this is what she had to do.

Hoping for the best, Sarah bit off a piece of peach and slowly, her vision blurred and she sunk back to the ground.

_As the pain sweeps through...makes no sense for you...every thrill he's caused...wasn't too much fun at all...but I'll be there for you-ou-ou...as the world falls down..._

_Perfect, she had made it to Jareth's intoxicating bubble of dreams. "Now, all I have to do is find him, wake him up, and then enlist him in the search for my friends. Piece of cake." Realizing what she had said, she inwardly cringed. The last time those words had escaped her mouth, the cleaners had been sent on her and Hoggle._

_Moving and finding that the white dress that Jareth insisted upon her wearing every time she made an appearance in the ballroom was NOT gracing her womanly figure just now, surprised her. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she had decided to come of her own free will this time._

_It also probably meant that Jareth was not expecting her like he had been the last two times. Great._

_"How am I supposed to find the Goblin King in a room full of masked people?" she muttered under her breath. The answer came to her so fast that she was amazed at herself for even asking the question._

_"By looking for the best dressed person here. " Sarah stated amusedly. Laughing to herself, she turned around and ran straight into someone._

_Closing her eyes in embarrassment, and making ready to apologize to the man she had just rammed her face into, she stilled as the sound of his amused voice could be heard in her ear._

_"Good to know that you think me well dressed princess." He said as his hands found her hips. "I told you I would be waiting..."_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Labyrinth. Im just not that cool ;)**

**Mucho shoutouts to my reviewers : Love's Symphony and black-heart-green-eyes! I love you guys and give you baskets of brownies!**

**I would also like to thank and give brownies to: Kami74, bakerroxy, , al-dena, kitcatscratch, crazytwilightbandkid, InMyHeartIWish, A Gumshoe, ChocoBerryMuffinxx, Howl-Jareth-Lover4life, and tmwillson3! Whoo that was a mouthful! You guys rock! **

**And to anyone else that took the time out of their busy day to read my story, I'll give you the brownie mix ;D**

Chapter 6: Wardrobe Malfunction

Cheeks flushing furiously at having ran face-first into Jareth's chest, Sarah refused to open her eyes until her blushing inferno cooled to a minor flame.

When she had regained her composure, Sarah met his mismatched irises and saw that while outwardly, the Goblin King gave the appearance of being calm, inwardly he was trying not to laugh.

She took some time to look him over. He really was the best dressed here, she noted to herself. Jareth was wearing the same sapphire blue outfit that he was wearing the last time she had been here, along with skin-tight pants and what looked like black riding boots.

Impeccable. As usual. Sarah felt extremely underdressed in her peach-stained pants and casual T-shirt. She would have been ashamed to be in the extravagant ballroom, if she hadn't been so relieved that her friends names were still visible on her clothes. Still, when she had come up with her get-into-dream-with-a-vile-peach idea, she hadn't planned on how she would appear standing next to the Goblin King.

_Oh get a hold of yourself Sarah!_ She thought angrily at herself. _Count your lucky stars that your plan worked, and focus!_

Straightening her back, she held her head high, looking positively regal as she met Jareth's eyes once more.

The Goblin King cocked an eyebrow and smirked at her. Slowly tilting his head to one side, he looked her over. No one had ever looked at her that way. It felt like he was undressing her with his eyes and he appreciated what he saw.

Taken aback and feeling slightly self-conscious at being on the receiving end of that lingering gaze, Sarah folded her arms in front of her chest. This defensive action made him smile fleetingly before he leisurely began to walk around her.

"Princess.." he drawled out questioningly from behind her.

"Don't call me that." Sarah quickly interrupted.

Ignoring her, he continued. "Princess, where is that stunning white gown and why is it not on you?"

With as much sarcasm she could muster, Sarah dryly stated, "You must have missed the memo Jareth, because I'm pretty sure today was casual- Labyrinth-attire Friday."

Hearing his low, answering laugh caused something inside of her to melt and she exhaled shakily.

"What's so amusing?" Sarah asked indignantly in a desperate attempt to mask the weakness she was feeling.

Having made it back to where they were almost face-to-face, she could feel him place his gloved hand on her lower back, and as he finished his circle, it slid to her waist.

Shocked into rigidity, Sarah could do nothing as he leaned forward. His tawny hair brushed forward so it framed his face and once they were inches apart, he locked eyes and smiled amusedly.

"Sarah?"

"What?" she replied, too breathless for her taste.

Leaning even closer so as to have better access to her ear, Jareth whispered.

"It's Tuesday. "

Feeling like an idiot, Sarah brought up her hands and shoved him away.

"Ugh! I really hate you right now." Sarah stated as she glowered at him.

Rolling her eyes at his mock wounded expression she began to calm down before she heard him speak again.

"Honestly though Sarah, where is that gown I had made for you?"

Shaking her head Sarah said, "Honestly Jareth I have no idea, but it was becoming uncomfortably tight in some areas when I last wore it, so I can't say that I'm not pleased to go without this evening. "

He looked confused before the flashing in his eyes illustrated that he knew exactly which parts of the gown she had outgrown.

Once more, Sarah saw that he glanced appreciatively at her.

"Yes, that would be a problem." the Goblin King stated thoughtfully. "However, your attire does beg another question princess...why do you have the names Ludo, Sir Didymus, and Hoggle smeared on your legs? And WHY do you smell like peaches?"

Angry at herself again for getting distracted by Jareth's unabashed flirting, Sarah's face became serious.

"Jareth, I only came back because I heard my friends were in trouble." Wringing her hands together, she continued worriedly. "Hoggle and Ludo have gone missing, Sir Didymus vanished on the way back, and I'm not sure where they are or if they're okay."

Mortified at the moisture she could feel pooling in her eyes, she flipped her head and faced the dancers so that he couldn't see.

Widening her eyes to keep the tears from falling, she continued. "I was going to run the Labyrinth again to try to find you and I ran straight into the magical peach orchard." The tears streaked down her cheeks as she turned back to him.

"And then I saw you. Lying there on the ground and not moving." She sniffed and swiped her hands furiously under her eyes. "So excuse me, Goblin King, if I'm not in the mood to flirt or to be dressed up like a doll," she said forcefully.

Slowing down and taking a deep breath Sarah looked at Jareth.

"I came to ask for your help in finding my friends, and that's why their names are spelled out on my pants, and that's also why I smell like peaches! So I guess what I'm trying to say is, will you help me?" She finished pleadingly.

Stunned by her tears, Jareth raised his hand and snapped his fingers. All of the elaborately dressed guests faded slowly away in wisps of smoke as he strode closer to Sarah.

Gasping as the guests vanished into thin air, Sarah wasn't expecting the Goblin King to grab the back of her head and press his lips gently against hers.

**I really hope you guys enjoyed that! I'm thinking of doing Jareth's POV for the next chapter...so please please please review and let me know what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Whoops! Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing Labyrinth related. At all.**

**Hello my lovely readers! Can I just say Ahhhhhhhh! The response I got from last chapter made my week! I'm sorry for taking so long on this chapter, but it took a while until I felt satisfied with my end product. Holy cow I have quite a few brownies to give away this chapter, so here goes nothing. ;)**

**Extra big shoutout to: F. 78, shreiking beauty, shm429, Princess of the Fae, fare-thee-well, black-heart-green-eyes, sheniyag, fanaticallyFictitious, Buggus264, A Gumshoe, and Kami74! You guys rock my socks! Baskets for fresh brownies for you all! ;D**

**Others I would love to graciously thank are: BadWolf49, The Queen of Water, trudes193, LittleLottie187, Domino2, KLM4521, BLetMeRestInPeaceS, gothicrocker2, and Valkyrie69! Brownies for you all! **

**And another great big shoutout to all those who took the time out of their busy day to give my story a chance! Boxed brownie mix for you all!**

Chapter 7: Visions and Reality

Breathtaking... Lovely... Gorgeous... Sarah.

Jareth hadn't seen Sarah for four long years. Having ruled over the Goblin Kingdom for almost one thousand years, he was used to the meticulous passing of time, but these last four had seemed to stretch for an eternity.

Once her fateful words had been said, Jareth had honestly tried to distance himself from Sarah. Unfortunately for him, his head and his heart disagreed. Torn between the girl he loved and his wish for her to be happy, he had grudgingly left her side.

How was he to have known that his Labyrinth would mourn her leaving?Slowly, the finely crafted maze began to deteriorate. Brick by brick, it was crumbling. No longer did the forest sparkle and shine, it's once healthy leaves took on a mottled brown hue.

In fact, the only section untouched by the overwhelming gloom had been his peach orchard. Unable to bear his need to see Sarah, Jareth had finally succumbed to his heart's demands a few days ago when he had sent her the dream.

"_Which is what got me into this mess in the first place_," He thought to himself angrily.

Seeing her after four years of silently pining literally took his breath away. No longer was she the small fifteen year old girl that had captivated his heart She had matured into a fully developed woman that, if she wanted, could keep his heart bound in blissful slavery.

As she woke up with his message, Jareth once more felt bereft, but he now had hope. Hope that she would come back and be with him. It was this particular hoping and dreaming that had been his downfall. Jareth had been so distracted by his thoughts of Sarah, that he hadn't noticed that he was surrounded.

With the dying of the forest, the Wild Gang and several other fierys had become dark and bitter. Seizing their chance to make Jareth suffer for letting the forest fall into disrepair, they had overtaken him quickly. Tackling him to the ground, all he remembered was a low voice telling him to "chilly down" before another enchanted peach was shoved forcefully into his mouth.

"_So embarrassing_." Jareth told himself. "_To think, having ruled over nine hundred years, and the first time I let myself daydream about my future wife, I'm overthrown. Pitiful really_."

It had seemed an eternity until his vision of loveliness, Sarah herself, had come into his ballroom for the second time in a week.

Jareth had been astonished at having someone slam into him until he realized with a jolt who it was. The intense need to wrap his arms around her possessively and kiss her right then was a hard instinct to repress.

"So I guess what I'm trying to say is, will you help me?"

Now she was standing before him and his beautiful, brave, courageous Sarah was crying.

All of his life, Jareth had been able do anything he wanted, but realizing that none of his magic could stop the one woman he loved from crying, the Goblin King felt powerless.

Suddenly, the ballroom felt too crowded. Overwhelmed with an unavoidable need to comfort her, Jareth raised his hand, snapped his fingers, and willed the twirling guests away.

Feeling as if his heart would break if he watched another tear streak down her face, Jareth strode towards his love, pulled her face towards his, and pressed his lips to hers.

Oh how he had yearned for this moment. Warmth flooded his body at the feel of her soft lips. Hearing her quiet moan, Jareth guided her body towards his and reveled in the way she felt against him. Something inside of him shifted, and with a start, Jareth realized that his impetuous action had just sealed their fate.

Slowly, he pulled away. Pressing his forehead against hers, Jareth closed his eyes and grinned.

"How is that only you can make me forget to be a gentleman?" Jareth said.

"Jareth..." she whispered softly.

Opening his eyes, he saw that Sarah's fingers were brushing her lips in wonderment.

"What did you do to me?" She asked, confused.

"Well, I'm not sure what it's called Aboveground, but down here, it's called a kiss." Jareth said smugly. "And before I get screamed at for kissing you, please know that I only meant to give you comfort."

He could almost hear the two-headed guard say, "ooh what a lie!"

Suddenly Sarah's eyes darkened as she snapped out of her Jareth-induced-stupor. Snapping her head up to look at him, Jareth registered the fire in her eyes, and wiped the smug look off of his face.

Jareth could almost see the fury and confusion emanating from Sarah as she walked up to him.

She took deep breaths and Jareth could have sworn he heard her slowly count to ten before she finally addressed him.

"Okay. I'm not sure what that was, but let's just pretend that the last minute didn't even happen. In fact, why don't you go and reorder time do that it doesn't happen."

"Unfortunately Sarah, that is one wish that even I cannot grant."

"And why the heck not?!"

Satisfied with himself, Jareth smirked. "Two reasons. Firstly, I don't want to. And secondly, what we just shared cannot be unshared."

Scoffing, Sarah continued. "What exactly did we just share Goblin King? Because I'm pretty sure that a kiss isn't too big of a deal..." she stated confidently before doubt wormed it's way into her thoughts. "It wasn't a big deal, right?"

Slightly disgruntled at her so flippantly waving away one of his most treasured moments, Jareth attempted to answer.

"Sarah,"

"-you know what, I don't even want to know." She interrupted while closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.

Jareth could see her physically calm herself and for the second time that day, was unsure of just how to act around her.

"You know what, just forget it. I came here to ask for your help Goblin King-"

"-Call me Jareth."

"- and so that's what I'm going to do. For the second time, will you help me?"

Damn. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this. What would she think of him when he told her? Unsure of whether his pride could hold up under Sarah's judgmental gaze, but not wanting to deceive his beloved, Jareth decided to speak the truth. Sighing defeatedly, he answered her.

"I...cannot."

The moment the hope left her eyes, was like a physical blow to him.

"Why can't you? You're the King! You have to do something!" Sarah screamed desperately.

Wincing at the words that she spoke, he continued. "Princess, I would if I could, but I am not in control of this dream. The peaches in my orchard are extremely potent, and I cannot break free from their magic by myself."

"Then why did you take a bite?!"

Pride already bruised, Jareth willed himself to keep speaking. "I was...distracted...and the next thing I knew, I had one of my own peaches in my mouth." Ending, Jareth was shocked to find that he sincerely felt embarrassed.

Refusing to accept that she would have to help her friends on her own, Sarah began to figuratively grasp for straws.

Nodding her head, Sarah narrowed her eyes in concentration as she mumbled to herself.

Oh how he loved her! She would have to know the consequence of their kiss eventually, but now was not the time. Frankly, he was perfectly content to stare at her from top to bottom, until she figured something out.

Hearing her sigh of determination, Jareth once more focused on her lovely green eyes.

"Well Goblin King...looks like I'm going to have to find a way to help you free yourself from your nasty, drugged peach's magic." taking a deep breath, she continued. "My first question is, can I help you while I'm still here?"

Answering her, Jareth stated rather formally, "While in the ballroom, there is nothing you can do to wake me up."

He saw renewed light kindle in Sara's eyes just as she followed her first question with a second one.

Her voice became thoughtful as she asked a second question.

"Can I help you if I wake up?"

Knowing the pain that this would cause both of them, but also knowing that it was the only way he could help in the quest for her friends, Ludo, Sir Didymus, and Hogwash, calmly he answered in the affirmative.

They both stood rooted to the spot, staring at each other until Sarah raised her eyebrows at him expectantly.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Send me back."

Wanting to prolong her stay, Jareth smiled and said, "Say your right words."

Shutting her eyes Sarah shook her head with a small smile. "I wish that I would be free of this dream and return to the orchard."

The powers that he had given her long ago now helped in granting her wish. Ever so slowly, Sarah began to disappear. It wasn't until she had completely faded away that the pain started.

It was like daggers were plunging into his mind. Dropping to his knees with a yell, Jareth clutched at his head.

Moments passed, when finally, after minutes of agonizing suffering, the ballroom exploded in a flash of white.

**I'm dying to know what you all think so far! Please please please review and let me know!**!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely squat of Labyrinth. Trust me. ;D **

**I cannot tell you all how much I LOVED seeing all those reviews! It inspired me so much that I knew I just had to out out another chapter this week! **

**A Humongous shoutout to my reviewers: Honoria Granger, A Gumshoe, black-heart-green-eyes, The Queen of Water, shm429, hauntedpumpkin56, Kami74, Buggus264, fare-thee-well, ashley2876, callista70, PugLover830, LadyGaily, and Princess of the Fae! You guys make my life complete! Baskets of steaming hot brownies for all of you! **

**Other major shoutouts for this chapter belong to: ericamv, , Snailly, Zack001, shisoma, spartiechic, Tabetha Winters, and CloudyDreamer5! You are flipping amazing! I humbly bequeath a delectable brownie for your eating pleasure XD**

**And, as always, all of you lovely other people that made time in your busy schedule to read my story, the Brownie Mix is yours! **

Chapter 8: Jumbled

"Ugh."

Her head hurt. Sarah opened her eyes to find herself awkwardly sprawled on the peach-ridden ground. Glancing down at her body, Sarah let out a grunt and chucked the bitten peach from her grasp.

That was when the dull throbbing that had been lingering in the back of her mind became full blown agony.

Letting out a piercing scream, Sarah squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her hands onto the sides of her head. Never in her life had she felt such excruciating physical distress.

Feeling the world around her start to grow distant as she came closer and closer to passing out, Sarah rolled slightly to her left and rammed her back against something hard.

It stopped. Like a switch, the pounding in her skull turned off. Gasping in air like it was a hot commodity, Sarah cracked open her eyelids. Trembling and wary, she felt behind her for what she had rolled into.

Soft...and warm...?

Turning her body slowly over so that she now faced it, Sarah could only stare.

"Of course it's him. " Sarah murmured angrily to herself. "OF COURSE it just HAS to be him!"

Her face softened.

_Sarah, grow up. It could be worse, the pain could come back_. She reasoned to herself. Breathing deeply, she started to calm down.

Propping herself up to a sitting position, Sarah studied the still form of the Goblin King. He really was quite breathtaking, she admitted. Some of his tawny hair had fallen in front of his face and with his eyes closed he looked peaceful.

It would've been cute if she didn't know him.

_'Who am I kidding? It's still cute!_' Sarah's inner voice yelled.

Sighing, she brushed the stray lock of hair out of his face, and her hand lingered, cupping his cheek gently.

Why did she feel so jumbled? Logically, she should hate him for all the trouble he's caused her, but no matter how hard she tried, Sarah couldn't bring herself to.

Continuing to stare, Sarah thought back to their kiss. It had been her first. Not that she'd EVER tell Jareth, but it had been a big moment for her.

About to wonder if it had been a big thing for him too, Sarah mentally shook herself.

"_Who are you kidding Sarah? He's probably kissed thousands of women. Snap out of it_. " she told herself bitterly.

Looking at him now objectively, Sarah wondered how to wake a drugged Goblin King up.

Scrunching her eyebrows together in concentration, Sarah started to pat his cheek. When that didn't work, she tried pushing him. Finding that when a king is dead-weight, he stays dead-weight, Sarah punched his arm instead.

It wasn't for several minutes afterward, that she began to run out of methods for operation-wake-up-Jareth. Flopping her head down so that she laid on his abdomen, Sarah huffed in frustration.

"I've pushed, shoved, patted, punched, opened an eyelid and beat on his chest for a bit. How else can you wake someone up?"

Racking her brain for possible solutions, Sarah's mind wandered back to her first kiss. Suddenly, an answer so obvious flew to the forefront of her ideas.

Flipping her head to the right so that she could see Jareth's face, Sarah narrowed her eyes. It couldn't be that easy...could it? Turning her whole body to the right, she placed one hand on his chest and leaned so that she was hovering over him. Her own chocolate hair creating a curtain around them, Sarah slowly lowered her mouth to his.

Doubt crept into her thoughts. _'There's no way this is going to work Sarah_,' she told herself. Seconds after, another voice whispered, _'But, what have you got to lose?_'

Closing the gap between their lips, she kissed him tenderly. For an instant, he stayed unresponsive, until abruptly a hand flew to her waist. Without warning, she was lying on her back with Jareth kissing her fervently. Feeling him smile against her lips, Sarah came to her senses. Bringing her hands up to his chest, she shoved.

Jareth grinned wickedly at her. "Sarah, if that is how I have to be woken up from one of my own peaches every time I eat one, I make a vow to eat one at least three times a day."

Glaring at him from where she was still positioned on the leafy ground, Sarah attempted to cause him harm with her eyes.

"If all it takes is a kiss to wake you up, your majesty, I'm sure Hoggle has a sister." she retorted haughtily.

The look of utter alarm that fleetingly crossed his face was enough to let Sarah know that he probably wasn't too keen on keeping that vow. Sarah: 1 Goblin King: 0.

As she stood up and straightened her clothes, she felt him behind her.

"Regardless of whether or not you feel inclined to help me keep my solemn promise the way **I** envision it being kept," he whispered in her ear, causing shivers down her spine. "I owe you a debt of gratitude for relieving me of some terrible pain."

Flinching in remembrance of the endured torture, Sarah twisted her neck so that she was gazing into the deep blue and hazel depths of his eyes.

"You felt it too?" she asked quietly. Bringing her palm up to her forehead, Sarah turned and stood face-to-face with him. "I've never felt anything so painful in my life...Jareth...why did that happen?" she continued fearfully.

Did he look...sheepish? What was he not telling her?

"Jareth, what's going on?" Sarah inquired suspiciously.

His gloved hand swept the stray hairs away from her eyes and he looked at her like she was the only thing in his world that mattered.

"Princess, you're not going to like this..."

**Ahhhh! I'm really excited for what I have planned coming up! We're about ot actually get into different parts of the Labyrinth! Please please please PLEASE review and let me know what you think!**!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing Labyrinth related. Zero. Zip. Nada. ;)**

**Alrighty, chapter nine has finally arrived, and with it, a whole bunch of brownies!**

**Mucho shoutouts to my beautiful and lovely reviewers: F. 78, Georgina, Guest, shm429, Kami74, A Gumshoe, black-heart-green-eyes, Jeni27, The Queen of Water, PugLover830, fanaticallyFictitious, and Honoria Granger! You guys make me so happy! Baskets of steaming hot brownies for you all!**

**I would also like to shoutout to these wonderful people: dragongarcia, ShadoMarked, Ember2010, PoisonIvy533, xFictionalMenRTheRealThingx, and Shadow Shauwna! For all oof you, I have tirelessly baked a beautiful brownie for your eating pleasure XD**

**Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank all those who took time out of their busy day to read my story! Pick up a bag of brownie mix!**

Chapter 9: It's Further Than You Think

"Princess, you're not going to like this..."

Casting a worried glance about the orchard, Sarah felt the cold tendrils of uneasiness flow through her veins. Focusing once more on the Goblin King, Sarah began to grow impatient with his aversion to answering her question.

"Jareth, just spit it out already! You're making me nervous. Whatever it is, I can take it." she said with false bravado.

Raising his eyebrows, Jareth seemed to size his champion up.

What was he preparing himself for? Never had Sarah seen him so unsure of what to say. He took a deep breath, and Sarah pulled her attention back to what he was about to say.

"Sarah, remember in the ballroom and how we kissed?"

How could she forget? Her first kiss and secret fantasy had been fulfilled at the same time in that ballroom. Somehow during that kiss, her heart had shifted, and everything in the world that she cared for seemed to be insignificant. It wasn't until the kiss was broken that she had remembered why she was there.

"Yes." Sarah answered, blushing furiously at the memory.

"Afterwards, you asked me whether or not it had been 'a big deal', and the answer to that question is yes, it affects the both of us greatly." Jareth's eyes softened towards her as he continued. "A kiss like the one we shared carries its own brand of magic. When I granted your wish to leave, I felt pain like I had never before experienced...the pain from you leaving my side."

Sarah stared at him in disbelief. "So that means what exactly? We can't ever be apart?"

The beautiful Goblin King raised a corner of his mouth in a small smile. "It means that fate has bound us together. In the Underground, things have a way of not always being what they seem to be."

Sarah mulled this new, startling information over. She should be mad, right? If he hadn't kissed her, she wouldn't be having these feelings for him!

The traitorous voice in the back of her mind taunted, 'Yeah, but you enjoyed it.'

Oh she didn't know what to feel right now! How could someone be feeling sad, scared, confused, frustrated, excited, happy, nervous, angry, and hopeful all at once without bursting?

"So, let me get this straight. If I leave you..or if you leave me...for any reason, it'll feel like knives are being plunged into our skull again? That doesn't make any sense!"

"Sarah. Think. I've already given you the answer."

Melodies from being in the ballroom ran though Sarah's mind at his words, and suddenly she thought she understood what he meant.

"As the pain sweeps through, makes no sense for you, every thrill is gone, wasn't too much fun at all." Sarah murmured quietly.

"Ah, you're forgetting the most important part." He spoke softly as he continued. "But I'll be there for you, as the world falls down."

_Meanwhile..._

In a distant section of the forest, a small fire flickered in the breeze. Dusk was approaching quickly, and the once sparkling trees now grew dull with the waning light.

Creatures were scattered around the fire, their once flamboyant red hair matted and brown with dirt. Some were missing limbs, but that was nothing new to them.

Once upon a time, their forest had been evergreen. Once upon a time, they had had no problems. It wasn't until that girl with the immovable head came and destroyed everything, that their section of the Labyrinth had begun to fall into ruin.

The leader sat closest to the fire. Proud of his gang for ambushing the King, his mouth was set in a vicious snarl as he thought about what to do next. The Goblin King wouldn't be waking up from that piece of fruit anytime soon, and they still had to figure out a way to reverse the damage done to the forest.

Hearing a rustle from the bushes, the leader's head swiveled towards the noise. A head rolled out from the undergrowth and began to address him.

"Boss, you know the ears we scattered throughout the Labyrinth?"

"Yes, what about them." he replied.

"One of them is picking up voices from the peach orchard. It seems that the King is awake..."

Eyes widening angrily at this bit of news, the leader egged his follower to continue.

"..and the girl is with him."

Smiling manically, the leader spoke.

"Good. Our first priority is the King, only he has enough magic to save the trees."

"And what about the girl?"

"When we snatch her up we'll throw her into the oubliette with the fox, dwarf, and the orange oaf. Then, we can finally take off her head."

_Back in the orchard.._.

Sarah nearly melted at his sweet words. She wanted to let herself love him, but she was scared. Ugh. How could one look from him make her feel so vulnerable?

Lost in each others gazes, neither of them noticed the stray vines winding their way through the grass.

Sarah broke eye contact first. She was about to take a step closer, when her feet were yanked out from under her, and she was being dragged forcefully through the dense trees.

"Jareth!"

Looking back, she saw a multitude of vines snaking their way up Jareth's body, binding him.

Flipping her body over so that she was lying on her stomach and not her back, Sarah began to claw at the ground. Slowly, she started to feel a low ache in the back of her mind. A tear leaked out the corner of her eye as she anticipated the mind-numbing pain. Trying to turn over onto her back so that she could at least see where she was going, her head whacked into a gnarled tree and blissfully, Sarah blacked out.

**Okay, so that was chapter nine! I know that I didn't really get to what I had wanted to, but I felt like this chapter needed to be written before I actually got into specific parts of the Labyrinth. Hopefully you all liked this! Next chapter is definitely going to be Jareth's POV (at least part of it). Please please please PLEASE review and let me know what you thought! You have no idea how much I appreciate them! ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing Labyrinth or Jareth related (dang). **

**Well hello there my fine followers! I'm sorry i couldn't update sooner, but I just got caught up with school, work, and extra curricular stuff...but I adored the response from last chapter! I tell you all the time, but you really don't know how much I appreciate you all ;D **

**Uber shoutouts to my phenomenal reviewers: Kami74, Black-heart-green-eyes, Buggus264, The Queen of Water, fare-thee-well, Kypriothe, guest, shm429, Joesette, PugLover830, Georgina, and A Gumshoe! As per usual, please accept a basket of freshly baked brownies on my behalf ;)**

**Also, major shoutouts to: vampsydney, XxXdawnXxX, sunshinekatie1996, black moon inu, Celtic Harmony, Ebony eyed wolf, and xx99soccerz! For you, I have painstakingly baked a chocolatey brownie so that thou mayest eateth chocolate goodness ;D**

**And last but never least, to those who took time out of their busy day to read my story, I made a special trip to provide you all with my brownie mix, enjoy!**

Chapter 10: Vines and other Creeping Things

Jareth watched as his Sarah was dragged away from him. Cursing under his breath while the thorny vines dug into his skin, Jareth's eyes gleamed angrily. Slithering up his legs and around his torso, the vines were beginning to squeeze the air out of his lungs.

A low ache could be felt softly thrumming in Jareth's mind, growing increasingly painful the further Sarah was wrenched his presence. At first, the Goblin King dismissed it as mildly irritable, but it wasn't until he heard Sarah's bloodcurdling scream for him that Jareth felt the mind-blowing anguish that pounded against his skull.

"Sarah!" Jareth ground out between clenched teeth.

Closing his eyes, Jareth called upon his kingly magic. Quickly, the temperature in the orchard dropped and Jareth's mismatched eyes flashed. A flurry of feathers shot up into the air, leaving the space where he had been standing empty. Flying in the direction that Sarah had been yanked towards, the golden barn owl heard satisfying thunks as vine after vine collapsed to the lush ground.

Panning his vision across a particularly long stretch of undergrowth, Jareth sighted the fast moving foliage pulling a Sarah-sized clump...an unmoving Sarah-sized clump.

Tucking his wings under himself and plummeting into a steep dive, the extraordinary barn owl opened his talons and sliced through the creepers that had been holding tightly onto his beloved's delicate ankles. Curbing his momentum, the pale gold owl swooped back around and landed on the ground next to Sarah's immovable form.

In a flash of light and glitter, the Goblin King appeared on his knees frantically looming over Sarah.

Reaching his gloved hand out and turning her head towards him, Jareth noticed a large gash running down the side of her face.

"No no no no NO...Sarah, wake up! Sarah?!" Jareth screamed hoarsely. Where were all those irritating goblins when he needed them?

Her face had scratches sporadically placed as a result from stray twigs that had been on the ground. Dirt and blood from the wound on her forehead matted her long brown hair.

Why was her face so pale? Surely that can't be a good thing...why wasn't Sarah breathing?

Jareth's insides clenched in terror. From the time he had landed by her side, the excruciating pain had vanished from his skull, but now it felt like a vise was gripping his heart. They had to leave the orchard as quickly as possible. The scorching sun was setting, and with the forest falling into disrepair, who knew how many vines and other creeping things might turn up.

Glancing quickly from side to side to make sure they were sufficiently alone, the Goblin King gently put one hand under Sarah's injured head and the other beneath her peach-stained knees.

Wide-eyed he rose to a standing position. Jareth took a step as he simultaneously transported them to his castle. Completing the step on the cold stone floor of one of the spare bedrooms, he was surprised to find it disturbingly quiet. Pushing that concern to the back of his thoughts, Jareth gently laid Sarah on the luxurious bed.

Summoning a crystal out of thin air, he brought it to his lips and whispered a single word on the delicate surface before touching it to the crown of Sarah's head. Seeing her gashes close and fade made the pressure on Jareth's heart ease slightly.

Collapsing into a nearby chair, Jareth slumped over and placed his tawny haired head into his hands. Sarah had lost a lot of blood. Inhaling deeply to control his shuddering breaths, the Goblin King found that he was shaking. Shaking with worry...and anger.

Slowly, he raised his head from where his hands had been holding it, and glared unseeingly into the air before him. Whoever was responsible for her injuries would pay dearly. The bog was too good for whoever had ordered the vines to drag Sarah mercilessly through the Woods.

Imagining what could've happened had he not gotten to her soon, a small tear leaked out of the Goblin King's hazel eye. Not noticing as the tear slid further down his cheek, Jareth stood up from the chair and sat upon the edge of the bed.

Although the scratches had been wiped away from her face, the blood and dirt were still there. Staring at who he considered to be the most beautiful woman in all the realms, his heart broke as he saw all of the color drained from her person.

Bending down to caress her cheek, Jareth's eyes gleamed with unshed tears.

"Sarah, wherever you are, come back to me..." Leaning so that he was positioned just over her lips, Jareth shut his eyes and one of his precious tears fell on her pale cheek. "I love you." He whispered softly onto her lips before crossing back to the stiff-backed chair.

Oh yes, whoever was responsible for harming his Sarah would be wishing for the bog before he was through with them, he thought darkly.

_Meanwhile..._

It was dark. So dark that Hoggle had begun to forget what the sun on his face felt like.

He remembered attending to the plant life out by the Labyrinth's entrance and being concerned about the wilting flowers. Here in the Underground, plants were everlasting so the small brown patches that had been spreading up to the petals, really concerned the dwarf. What Jareth would say when he found out was not an event that Hoggle desired to be present for. Shuffling towards the pond to fill up his spray bottle, all he remembered before being unceremoniously tossed into this pitch-black pit was a flash of red and a toothy snout.

A few days later, Hoggle had received another unwelcome surprise. Not to say that Ludo was unwelcome, but the dwarf didn't particularly enjoy being a landing mat for falling fluffy monsters.

Just when the two friends were beginning to lose hope, their foxy companion dropped in.

"Verily! My brother and Hoggle, thou hast no idea how merry our reunion makes me! Alas, how I had hoped it would be under more favorable circumstances...", Sir Didymus's voice grew melancholy before cheering right back up. "Nevertheless, I bring fortunate news!"

"Wells hurry up, I ain't got all day!" Hoggle stammered.

"My Lady hast returned to the Labyrinth to perform a most noble rescue!" Sir Didymus exclaimed optimistically.

"Sawah?" Ludo asked questioningly.

"Yea my brother! The valiant champion will save us!"

Hoggle thought about this for a moment. Something didn't add up. "If Sarah's come back, wheres is she?"

At this the knightly fox faltered. "Alas...we were separated upon our entering through the looking glass." Sir Didymus looked utterly downcast at his admittance of losing track of their most beloved friend.

"Damn." The dwarf muttered under his breath. "So just hows we supposed to get out of this dark damp pit?"

Sir Didymus cocked his head and looked confusedly at Hoggle. "A Pit? No, our situation is more dire than a simple dripping pit. Nay, we art in a dark and damp oubliette."

Immediately, Hoggle perked right up. "An oubliette huh? There's always tricks to thems...but beware of the broom closets." He said absentmindedly while feeling around for a small plank of wood.

**Whoop whoop! Chapter 10 down! Please please please PLEASE let me know what you all thought of the Sarah/Jareth interaction and Hoggle's experience by reviewing! Not only does it provide me with some serious food for thought, but it also seriously brightens my day ;) **


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I own squat. As in nada, zero, zip of Labyrinth. Such a pity...**

**Well howdy! I know this update came super quick (even by my standards) but what can I say? When inspiration hits, it hits hard. ;)**

**Mucho shoutouts to my lovely reviewers: Kami74, A Gumshoe, Kypriothe, shm429, Georgina, XxXdawnXxX, fare-thee-well, and Joesette! You guys rock my socks and just for that, I baked not one, but TWO baskets of brownies for each of you! Eat and enjoy my friends ;D**

**Uber shoutouts to my two new followers: Amyloo12 and dark-angel-159753! For the pair of you I hath whipped up fresh delectable brownies for your eating pleasure ;D**

**And last but not least, to all those who took time out of their busy day to read my fic, I have provided each of you with a packet of my signature brownie mix, just add eggs. ;)**

Chapter 11: The Den of Enduring Despair

Warm. Sarah snuggled deeper into the sheets. Toby would be up soon, and today was their weekly ice cream run. Groaning as she stretched, Sarah hissed in pain at the soreness of her muscles. Meaning to flip the covers off, Sarah ran her hand across the silky sheets.

Silk? Soreness? What the-?

Cracking open her eyes, Sarah gasped. Jolting up Sarah found that she was in the back end of a large room, in the middle of a large bed.

Midnight blue silk enveloped her and rubbed across her skin deliciously as she turned to view her strange surroundings. To her left was a gaping window that showed the vast expanse of the Labyrinth. Squawking of chickens and the high pitched laughing of goblins could be heard from inside the room. Swiveling to the right, a large rug could be seen gracing the floor. Squinting her eyes, Sarah focused on the rug. Was it..changing?

Similar to an enlarged crystal, the images it showed moved and twisted of their own accord. Hmmm. Weird. Blinking and shaking her head she turned further to see the rest of the room.

A small high-backed chair was positioned next to the bed and on it was a flower that had an excess of petals, each placed around the center so that they resembled a perfect star. Curious, Sarah picked it up and brought it to her nose. Inhaling deeply, the smells she remembered from her time in the Labyrinth overwhelmed her. Thankfully it kept to the more pleasant ones, such as the faint aroma of peaches and the musky smell that reminded her of Jareth, instead of other less desirable ones like the Bog.

Pulling it away from her nose, Sarah smiled and looked again at the chair. The only other object that was situated on it was a large white and gold feather.

Jareth must be flying around here somewhere, she thought absentmindedly to herself. Amazed at the lack of a splitting headache, Sarah reasoned that he couldn't be too far...no he wouldn't leave her for very long, she reassured herself.

Pushing the heavy blue comforter off of her body, she swung her legs so that they hung off the side of the bed. Frigid cold air from outside hit her feet and wound its way up to the middle of her calves.

Remembering that she had left her shoes on the orchard grass, Sarah groaned. Glancing down at the stone floor she saw two items that caused an ungraceful snort to escape her lips.

"He really does think of everything doesn't he?" She mumbled under her breath.

Near her feet, two slippers sat. One was shaped like a goblin and the other like a chicken. Chuckling to herself, Sarah slipped them on and walked towards the wide window. Looking out at the sprawling dark landscape, she was surprised at how serene everything seemed to be at this time of night.

A crystal moon illuminated the tops of the goblin houses, and she could see strange parts of the Labyrinth that weren't visible from ground level. To the right was the junkyard and the great forest, while straight ahead, was the Bog of Eternal Stench and the hedge section. Staring at an unfamiliar object in the center of the hedges, it slowly came into view.

It was huge! Big and circular, it looked to be a well.

_Duh Sarah, where else are the goblins supposed to get their water, the pond out front?_ Her inner voice patronized.

Shrugging it off, Sarah continued to view the panorama. To the left, Sarah could see the towering peach trees from Jareth's orchard, but further down, an area that she didn't recognize became visible in the pale moonlight.

Dead trees spotted the ground, and what long ago might have been luscious green grass, was now dry and barren.

Hunkering animals clambered across that part of land, and as her vision adjusted to the unnatural darkness, she could see the glowing orbs of their eyes as they wandered aimlessly.

From where she was the top of the castle, they seemed tiny, but Sarah knew too well that in the Underground, nothing is as it seems.

A giant cave positioned in the center of the wasteland was riddled with jagged rocks. A lone creature had scaled to the top and appeared to be searching for something. Its' head swiveled from left to right slowly as if the object it was looking for was close and it didn't want to overlook anything.

As if it could feel her eyes on him, its' head snapped up, and a pair of glowing orange eyes penetrated the space between them. Unable to look away from the chilling stare, Sarah stood fixated on the abnormal animal. Watching as it threw back it's head, goosebumps erupted over her body as the distant wail was carried back to her on the breeze.

Hearing a faint click behind her, Sarah let out a small scream as she turned towards the door.

Breathing heavily in the doorway stood a small goblin...with what looked like a toilet plunger on its' head. Laughing at herself for being so jumpy, Sarah smiled at it.

Glancing down at the flower in her hand, she thought of Jareth. The goblin was probably here to let her know that he was back. Sighing in relief, Sarah knew that now that they were both safe, they could start the search for the wild fierys and her friends. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long before they sorted this mess with the forest out. _And maybe when everything was taken care of...well, she'd just have to see how things pan out_, she thought with a small smile.

Turning her attention back to the out-of-breath goblin, Sarah giggled because his small hands were on his knees and he was wheezing while attempting to speak.

"What is it?" She asked politely, fighting the urge to laugh in his face.

"M-my l-lady..." he managed to get out, gulping for air. "W-we tried, b-but we couldn't s-stop them...w-we even launched the c-chickens..."

Scrunching her eyebrows together in confusion, Sarah stared at the goblin. "I'm sorry, what's going on?"

Suddenly, the goblin's eyes shot open wide and it pointed a gnarled finger at the window. "Lady, behind you!"

That high pitched squeal was the last thing Sarah heard before two gangly red arms seized hold of her waist and forcefully flung her out of the window. Plummeting fast down the side of the high castle and towards the unforgiving ground, the only thing she could hear was the sound of her screams echoing in her ears.

Somewhere high above the Labyrinth, a pale gold owl dropped out of the sky.

**Wow. The only thing I can possibly say is, trust me on this one. As always, please please please PLEASE review and let me know what you think! I would say penny for your thoughts, but luckily for you, reviewing is free :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I own squat of Labyrinth. I'm not kidding. **

**Well hello again my beautiful readers! How are all of you doing? I'm sorry it's been a while since my last update, but it seems like school, dance, and work have all conspired against me to compete for time. So the result is a criminally short chapter *cringes*. However, I feel like this was the place for this chapter to end...so enjoy! ;D**

**Humongous shoutouts to my beloved reviewers: Kami74, RyeSample, Ree923, Buggus264, shm429, Amyloo12, A Gumshoe, Joesette, fare-thee-well, black-heart-green-eyes, fanaticallyFictitious, The Queen of Water, Love's Symphony, Georgina, and Exodrac! You all make me smile and just for your kind, lovely words I have baked fresh and warm melt-in-your-mouth brownies for you all! May your taste buds be tantalized ;D**

**For my gorgeous followers and those who favorited: bear-beara-kuma, Yankeegirl01, Erin'sSong, Hotgirlow, Rosewoods Muse, Alyss L, AnimeGalRena, and lexiptr, I humbly bequeath a single delectable brownie for all your dessert needs :)**

**And, as always, a BIG thank you to all those who took time out of their eventful lives to read my story! You may pick up a packet of my brownie mix at the end of this chapter ;)**

Chapter 12: Race Against Time

Jareth had been perched on the pinnacle of the West tower when he saw her. Even though it was pitch black outside, his sharp vision could discern Sarah's form tumbling from the Northern tower windows.

Hot fury flowed fast through his veins as he took off into the sky with a terrifying screech. Blinking moisture out of his large black eyes as he continued to fly towards his falling Sarah, Jareth knew that to save her would cause great pain to himself. Even with knowing this, he wouldn't stop. Without a seconds hesitation, or a thought to his well-being, Jareth pulled out of his daring plunge and spread his downy golden feathers wide.

Still high above the Underground, the fierce owl gave an impossibly loud cry as a shockwave emanated from the tips of his outstretched feathers. Time slowed down.

Successfully managing to suspend the time surrounding his love, Jareth's minuscule form quivered with the effort of stopping the natural tempo of the universe.

Despite the difficulty, the desired effect took place, and Sarah now seemed to be steadily falling in slow motion. The air around her rippled with delayed motion that made it seem like Jareth was viewing her fall through water.

A small tear leaked from his large eyes and glistened as it tumbled down his plumed face. Knowing that he couldn't still time forever, for a moment, the great and powerful Goblin King let himself shed a few tears. His one and only love was still far from the ground and if he relinquished the time he had slowed, she would surely die. It seemed that the ticking of the clock would bring about the end of the only person he'd ever cared about and for the first time in his life Jareth loathed the hand fate had dealt him.

_'It's not fair! Just now when we were beginning to understand one another, i'll be forced to live without her! How can I live without her?...It isn't fair._..' He thought despondently.

As if in response to his mental outburst, he could clearly hear an echo from Sarah's past run through his mind.

_'No. It isn't. But that's just the way it is._' he heard her speak with a surprised lilt to her voice. The irony of the situation was almost too much for his owl form to take.

Time was slipping from his grasp and the shimmering space around Sarah began to waver as he weakened.

Energy and magic rapidly depleting, a slow transformation began to take place. Looking up into the sky, goblins stopped and stared as the majestic silhouette of the large barn owl changed into the lanky form of their king. Slowly, fingers replaced feathers, and long tawny hair replace plumage. Eventually, all that anyone could see was Jareth hovering in the sky. Face scrunched in utter concentration, the powerful Goblin King's hands shook from the strain.

Every moment that he prolonged her falling felt as if heavy weights were piling unmercifully onto his chest. Suffocating under his heavy burden, he watched as Sarah's descent grew faster and faster as he lost control.

With a loud CRACK, a second shockwave shot through his body and his vision blackened. Mentally and physically exhausted, Jareth could do nothing as he crumpled out of the sky and dropped towards the Goblin City.

"_I'm so sorry precious. I've failed you.."_ was the last coherent thought before Jareth the Goblin King fell from the sky and landed among the stone rooftops.

**I know this one was short. Trust me, I know. But as per usual, I would really REALLY appreciate feedback from all of you! Please please PLEASE review and let me know heat you think! ;D**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing that is remotely recognizable. I know. I'm just as disappointed as you are. **

**Well hello there! I'm sorry for the inexcusable delay in updates, but as I'm sure you're all aware, life can be so unpredictable sometimes. For instance, I had originally planned to have this chapter up on Tuesday to celebrate my birthday, but alas, it was not to be... :D However, to make up for the agonizing wait, I kept my promise and made this chapter the longest of any of my other ones in order to make up for the last chapter's shortness! YAY! On that happy note, I regretfully must inform you that I feel like this story is coming to a close. *sheds tear* So although THIS chapter is not the stunning conclusion, I'm thinking that it could possibly be next chapter. Just remember: all good things must come to an end, therefore this couldn't possibly go on forever ;) For those of you who feel saddened by this news, don't worry, because I have a BRAND NEW story that I will be debuting at the same time as my epic conclusion-so be on the look out!**

**Onto shoutouts! Über-mega shoutouts go to my lovely and rather fantastic reviewers: Kami74, fanaticallyFictitious, The Queen of Water, black-heart-green-eyes, Guest, fanficreader1053, another guest, Georgina, Joesette, Exodrac, Princess of the Fae, fare-thee-well, Honoria Granger, Buggus264, BourneLegacy13, and XxXdawnXxX! All of your kid and concerned words left me with a ridiculously large smile, sooo...FRESHLY-BAKED-MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH-BASKETS-OF-BROWNIES for you all! Enjoy my sweet-toothed friends ;D **

**Mucho Grande shoutouts also go to my beloved followers and favoriters: Death's Silent Approach, F. 78, RapunzelFitsherbert, Navidasti, Silvermastermind, and Animegal1809! Because of your devotion, I humbly bequeath unto you a single, magnificent pastry creation. Otherwise known as the golden brownie. I hope it fills your lives with happiness ;D **

**And last but certainly not least, I would like to give a big shoutout to all of you who took time out of your busy schedule to read my story! My specialty brownie mix will be available to yotoast the end of the chapter. Don't forget to just add water ;)**

Chapter 13: Running out of Time

Sarah felt like she was falling in slow motion. She wondered whether when plunging towards certain death, could everyone see their surroundings so clearly? She could see every smudge on the castle bricks with pristine clarity. Chicken feathers were oddly placed among the crevices, and an errant thought ran through her mind about the launching of chickens...

Even in the pale moonlight, all of the Goblin buildings seemed to be illuminated by some otherworldly light. Turning in midair so that she was staring at her former room window, tendrils of her hair flew up and wildly whipped her face as she continued to plummet. As she closed her eyes, a small crystalline tear slid down her face.

Sarah thought about Toby, and all of the lazy afternoons spent eating string cheese, all of the bedtime stories, and all of the smiles and laughter they had shared. She had never even said goodbye, and in some distant part of her brain wondered whether her family was missing her yet.

Coming increasingly closer towards the cold, stone ground, Sarah drew a deep breath as she mentally tried to calm herself.

_'At least I got to see Jareth one last time..._' was her final thought before making impact.

Gradually, Sarah's eyes fluttered open, and her hands pushed against tufty orange hair.

"Sawah fall..." came rumbling from beneath Sarah's.

Head rising and falling rhythmically as Ludo breathed, her eyes questioningly searched the space surrounding her. Eyes landing upon two more familiar faces, Sarah burst into tears of joy and astonishment.

"My lady, why dost thou weep? We art here to perform a most daring rescue, and it seemeth that had we arrived a moment later, we would have been too late. Verily, I can only thank the stars that my brother was lumbering directly underneath your timely descent. " Sir Didymus's voice penetrated her shock and Sarah cracked a watery smile at the courageous knight.

Softly, a gnarled, old hand placed itself gently on her shoulder, and Sarah turned.

"I's told you once that it only gets worse from here on in. Do you believe me now?" Hoggle said in a gruff but kind tone.

"Hoggle!" Sarah cried and threw herself into a tight hug with her closest friend. Looking around at all of their familiar faces Sarah was truly happy. "I came back to save you...so how did you guys escape the fierys?"

Hoggle grunted. "Hmph, well we's been tossed in an oubliette...so a few broom closets later, we's found the trick to be escapin'.

Sir Didymus sniffed in distaste. "Aye my lady, and not all closets were filled with brooms, if you get my gist...too many of those ebony chickens for my taste.." He mumbled.

Realizing that she was still partially seated on Ludo, Sarah shakingly stood up and offered a hand to her plushy friend. Once Ludo grasped her palm and heaved himself to a stand, he took his large hand and wiped Sarah's glistening cheeks.

"Sawah sad?" He asked confusedly.

"No Ludo, I'm happy. Happy that I finally found you all."

Sir Didymus cleared his throat and stared at Sarah with a puzzled expression on his face. "Yes, just how did you come to be falling from the highest tower fair maiden?"

Sarah could feel anxiety hover in her stomach as she recounted how the fiery scaled the castle and then flung her out the window. "...and then it seemed like I had been falling for an eternity before I landed on Ludo." She finished breathlessly.

Hoggle shuffled in irritation. "When I see that no good, evil, annoying King of ours, I's going to give him a piece of my mind! What he was thinkin' leavin you alls by yourself, I'll nev-"

"-Jareth!" Sarah interrupted worryingly. "He never came back.." she glanced at her friends fearfully. "Do any of you know where he would be?"

Hoggle rolled his large eyes. "If the rat's anywhere, he'd be in that orchard of his, probably tending to those poisoned peaches."

As Hoggle was speaking, pattering footsteps could be heard coming from around the castle corner. At first, their small group thought it was goblins, but it wasn't until they saw the luminescent red glow on the cold pavement, that they began to panic. Falling silent, Sarah and her friends could hear snarling voices speaking in loud tones.

"That lady never plays by the rules!" One said to the other.

" Not for long...the boss wants her head, and then everything will be okay again. He said that when we find the lady, the forest will fix itself." The other barked out.

Hearing their voices grow louder, Sarah felt slightly nauseous. They had to find Jareth and fast. Crouching down she whispered, "We need to find Jareth now! He's the only one who can solve this mess..." turning her jade eyes towards Hoggle, she asked desperately, "Will you take me to the orchard?"

His wide eyes glued on the castle corner, slowly he registered her request and nodded. "Hurry, follow me!" was spoken as he quickly limped towards the orchard's secret opening.

Confident that they had lost the trailing fierys, Sarah stopped her brisk run and placed her palms on her knees. "Hoggle...how...much..farther?" she questioned breathlessly. They had to have been running for at least thirty minutes before they had reached the edge of the forest, and now they were sticking close to the edge so that nothing unsavory would be able to creep up on them.

Finally getting the chance to truly recover from both her fall, and their mad dash towards the orchard, Sarah was now beginning to worry at the lack of a headache. Surely, they had been too far apart for too long, and a sickening feeling was spreading in her stomach.

The small dwarf was doubled over trying to catch his breath as he attempted to answer. In fact, all but Sir Didymus seemed to be severely winded from the long sprint.

" Not..much..but...the Labyrinth..keeps..changing.."

"Verily, onward! At this pace, how can we be expected to reach our majesty in time?" The energetic fox interjected with determination.

"Ludo tired..."

Sarah grinned wryly at the differences between her friends and was about to make a snarky remark, when a distant clanging sound broke her train of thought. Keeping still, Sarah glanced at her friends worriedly. Mouthing the word "Hide!", they swiftly scattered.

Relief washed through Sarah as the source of the obnoxious clanging was discovered. A horde of goblins "prepared" for battle came rushing through the densely populated forest. Small green and brown goblins of all different shapes and sizes were armed in what looked like the royal kitchen's cutlery, among other things. One was sporting a porcelain mixing bowl as a makeshift helmet, while others were brandishing wooden spoons and spatulas above their heads in a crazed fashion.

Stepping out from her hiding spot, Sarah jumped in front of the angry mob of goblins with her palms up and her arms outstretched. The ones leading their little band skidded to a stop before smashing into the Labyrinth's champion. Watching as they came swiftly to a halt, Sarah assessed the situation and addressed the minuscule goblin in charge.

"What is all of this about? What's going on?"

The small goblin leading the charge was none other than the one that had barged into her room. Only now, he was wearing a kitchen strainer on his head that made his tufty olive-green hair stick out wildly in some places.

"Lady Sarah, we have come to help King! Red monsters drag king away from us, and I thought that we would help you fight for him back! Will you help us?"

Sarah's insides clenched and she felt all of the blood drain from her face. The Wild Gang had gotten a hold of Jareth. Who knew what they would do to him, especially since they believed he was the cause for all of the forest's deterioration...steeling her emerald gaze, she knew that she had made her decision.

"Take us to them, we WILL fight."

Minutes later they had penetrated the peach orchard and were silently sliding from behind one tree to another. A tiny reddish-brown goblin that went by Gixle tugged on Sarah's faded pant leg. His knobby index finger pointed out a flickering light deeper into the orchard. All of the goblins and the three of her friends looked to her for approval. Nodding her head once, she gave the signal to surround the glowing fire.

Silently closing in on the brightly lit area was no small task. Many times, Sarah had to close her eyes for fear that a rattling fork or spoon from the goblin's supplies would go noticed by the fierys. Thankfully, luck was on their side, and all of them made a tight circle around the small enclosure.

Just as she was about to give the signal to charge, her attention snapped to two of the stray fierys dragging a body closer to the source of light. As Jareth's form came into view, Sarah stopped breathing. Why wasn't he moving? Breath caught in her throat, she could only watch as he was dragged towards the figure closest to the fire.

"Hey boss man, we found him chillin' on a rooftop. What should we do with him?"

The figure closest to the fire let out a rasping voice as he quivered angrily. His moveable head swiveled around to look at the Goblin King's still body. Deranged eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as the leader whispered in dangerously low tones to his subordinates.

"Get him away from me. What use is a dead Goblin King." He said with a sneer.

A collective gasp ran through the hidden goblin ranks as the news of their dead king spread. Sir Didymus glanced up towards Sarah sorrowfully.

"Oh my lady..."

Sarah stood frozen to the spot. She didn't feel anything. Where she was, she was beyond pain. Gixle tapped her leg. Looking down, she saw the loyal goblin had tears in his eyes."

"Lady Sarah, what do we do now?" He asked trembling with sadness.

As if in a trance, Sarah turned back towards the fire and began to walk. As she stepped out from the mass of trees she mumbled one word.

"Attack."

Chaos like nothing the Labyrinth had seen before ensued. Mere moments after the half-muttered word left her mouth, goblins rushed from every part of the surrounding circle brandishing their weapons. All around her the goblins showed their fierce loyalty to the King as they fought together. Ludo's large tail knocked the legs out from under a few of the fierys and nearby, Hoggle sprayed a fiery in the face with his fairy killer. Gixle was nowhere to be seen, but Sarah surmised that he was no doubt helping dismantle a fiery with the rest of the goblin horde.

Seemingly oblivious to the tumultuous environment around her, Sarah kept walking towards the one person that she had ever truly loved. Blissfully ignorant of the dismembering of limbs, her gaze locked on the prone Goblin King. Coming to the spot where he lay forgotten in the ruckus, Sarah collapsed to her knees. Running her hand over the left side of his chest, it wasn't until she felt the loss of a heartbeat that she allowed her face to crumple. Angry tears streaked down her face and onto his chest as she let her barriers down.

_'This wasn't how it was supposed to happen!_' she thought to herself. He couldn't die, not now that she knew that she loved him! Cursing the lack of time they had had together, Sarah beat on his chest with her fist, before gathering his upper body into her arms. For what felt like an eternity, she sat there with him cradled in her arms weeping.

_NO! This can't be the end!_ Her mind screamed. Imagining her world without Jareth in it was impossible for her mind to wrap around. Sucking in her quivering breaths, Sarah tried to think of something...anything that could change the hand date had so cruelly dealt.

Snapping her head up, a spark of hope kindled in her eyes. Words from long ago raced through her head, words that she had long forgotten. _Why shouldn't it work?_ Her inner voice reasoned. _For after all, the King of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers..._

**_Well that certainly was exciting! As always, I love to hear all of your opinions, thoughts, and feelings about my chapters, so please please please PLEASE review to let me know what you all thought! Trust me, it only gets better from here on in ;D_**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I own squat of Labyrinth. Such a shame, I know. **

**Well here it is. As promised, this chapter is the stunning conclusion to my very first fanfic, and truthfully, this moment is bittersweet. How can I explainhey feelings of wanting to finish a story, but never wanting it to end? Regardless, I would like to thank all of you readers for your support and love! It was because of all of you that this story was able to be finished! **

**Onto shoutouts! To my beautiful and quite lovely reviewers: fanficreader1053, black-heart-green-eyes, Joesette, Kami74, A Gumshoe, The Queen of Water, Buggus264, Guest, Honoria Granger, and Kypriothe, It is with love that I bequeath unto you all 2 baskets of homemade gooey brownies! **

**For those of you who just Favorited or followed: Praxiscosima, Chasing Darkness, , Goldenwolfhowl, and PinkutoMomo, I humbly present unto you a warm, fresh, beautiful brownie for your eating pleasure! Please enjoy with my complements! **

**And as always, a rather large shoutout to all of you that have taken time out of your busy schedules to read and enjoy my fic! For you, I give packets of my secret brownie recipe! (Just add water). ;D**

Chapter 14: It's Only Forever

All around her, goblins and fierys were battling it out. Tails were set ablaze and heads rolled, but Sarah was oblivious to it all. To her, all that mattered at this moment was the small flicker of hope she held inside of her. Hope that the plan she clung onto would prove itself.

Amid frenzied battle cries, Sarah Williams resolutely closed her eyes and spoke the right words.

"I wish the Goblin King would live and reclaim his fallen Labyrinth.." the rest she added in a breaking whisper, "as well as its' rightful queen."

As the words left her mouth they seemed to ring in the air with an expectant finality about them.

In response to her plea, a mighty wind picked up causing Sarah's hair to swirl wildly. The noise caused by the raging battle was drowned out as the whirlwind blasted through the trees.

Bending down so that her face was mere inches away from Jareth's, Sarah murmured, "Come back to me. I love you.." , before sealing her wish with a kiss.

As she brought her lips down upon the Goblin King's, a shock coursed through her body. The words of love she had uttered hung in the air like an errant echo, and as she sat up, she couldn't help but gasp.

Time had frozen. The trees were bent from the blustery gale, and in the air sat the glistening leaves that had been whipped about. The forest seemed deathly quiet without the assault of voices ringing within the enclosed circle. Goblins and fierys alike were paused in this culminating battle of loyalty. Sir Didymus was lunging with his sword brandished at the nearest fiery, and directly above the flamboyantly red creature a goblin was frozen mid-air with its' stubby arms outstretched for attack.

Mouth gone slack from the obvious suspension of time, Sarah was pulled back from the observation of her surroundings when she felt the ground pulsate beneath her legs.

A light lit from below the surface grew brighter until the very stalks of grass shone with its' brilliancy. Emanating from the patch of land Sarah and Jareth were lying on, the strange glow expanded and branched off, lighting up the Labyrinth floor as it went.

Sarah watched with amazement as everything the otherworldly light touched rejuvenated itself. Dying trees and foliage transformed into healthy specimens. Withering leaves plumped back to their original size as the colors of the forest took on deeper shades. Ever so slowly, the glittery sheen that Sarah had come to associate with the Labyrinth returned. Once the light had finished with the plants, it switched directions and crawled towards the frozen inhabitants. The illuminated tendrils creeped up the fierys' bodies and where it touched, the matted hair became vibrant once more. As the light lit their still forms, Sarah was reminded of the care-free animals they had been the last time she was here. No longer were their eyes haunted and deranged, mischievous glints replaced the darkness left by a deteriorating home.

"The Labyrinth's healing itself.." Sarah thought as she witnessed the giant change in the atmosphere.

Softly, a whooshing sound could be heard as the glow rushed back to the spot it originated in. As the last of the healing light faded away, silence was replaced with the buzz of noise.

Time was restored to its' original tempo, and distantly Sarah could hear the now playful voices emitted by the fierys. Confused and confounded were the mass of goblins as they saw the vibrant and upbeat fierys instead of the matted brown monsters they had been fighting.

Looking around for an explanation to the sudden change in appearance and demeanor, her friends, the goblins, and the fierys stood in shocked silence as they viewed the restored environment surrounding them. A hush settled over the group as their attention was drawn to Sarah, and the fallen Goblin King.

Minutes passed, and more nothing happened, the more Sarah's eyes dulled. Loss darkened her beautiful features, and Sarah had to turn away from grief.

'He's really gone.' was the thought that ran unbidden through her mind like a stream of shrapnel cutting her to the core.

Just as she was about to stand up, a strong arm wrapped itself around her waist and flipped her onto her back. Lips crushed onto hers as Jareth held her close. Recovering from her shock, her arms wrapped themselves around his neck as she pulled him ever closer.

Behind them, a cheer erupted from the goblins and her friends.

Breaking the kiss Jareth smiled down at her lovingly.

"Just where did you think you were going precious?" He asked.

Catching her breath as she heard the melodious voice she had thought was lost to her forever she replied voice shaking with unrepressed emotion.

"I thought you were gone...Jareth, I was so scared that you had left me."

"Gone? The Goblin King?" He asked with a scoff. With a fierce love, he gazed into her green eyes and finished intimately, "Besides, I would NEVER leave you precious. I love you too much."

Eyes softening with his heartfelt words, he leaned down to lose himself in her kiss. Not wanting this moment to end, Sarah was loathe when she broke the kiss to look once more into his enchanting mismatched eyes.

"Jareth..." She whispered.

Features contorted in confusion at her breaking of their kiss, Jareth hovered above her waiting for her to continue.

"Yes Sarah?"

Drawing her hand up to run through his fine tawny hair, Sarah smiled at him with adoration shining in her eyes.

"I love you." she said as she pulled his head back down to kiss him again. At her declaration, a light blazed in Jareth's eyes and unapologetically, he kissed her senseless until they were both breathing heavily.

A throat was being cleared above them, and with a frustrated growl, Jareth tore himself away from Sarah and glared at the one that had intruded on his reunion with Sarah.

"Hedgewort-"

"Hoggle!"

"Yes..." The king drawled. "What is so important that it can't wait a few more minutes." He ground out dangerously.

Unperturbed by Jareth's anger Hoggle continued. "Yer majesty, begging yer pardon, but what do yer want us to do with these...things?" he asked gesturing to the unfazed fierys.

"What about them?" Jareth asked not comprehending what on earth Hoggle was talking about.

"Well, yer majesty, they DID sack the Labyrinth, the goblin city, and your castle. Not to mention they threw Sarah out of the tallest tower window, so excuse me for imagining they might receive some punishment for their actions." Hoggle angrily bit out, furious at the group of red creatures standing feet from him.

Jareth's eyes darkened as he heard of each crime committed, but it wasn't until he heard that they were the ones responsible for Sarah's plunge that he showed any outward signs of his enormous displeasure.

Standing up, the Goblin King looked frightening as he passed sentence upon the fierys. "As traitors to the Labyrinth, the crown, and the champion, I hereby sentence you all to hang by you ears over the Bog of Eternal Stench for the period of one year. After such a period to reflect upon your heinous actions, you will be allowed to return to the forest, where you WILL remain."

Before any complaints could be spoken, Jareth snapped his fingers, and the fierys were gone in a poof of glitter.

Turning towards the goblins he continued, "and for you all, as a reward for you unwavering loyalty, I decree today as a holiday. The local taverns will be open all night long for the drunken revelry I'm sure will commence." This order was received with many cheers and shouts of joy from the cutlery clad goblins. With a wave of Jareth's hand, they too were whisked out of the clearing and presumably to the center of the city.

Lastly, Jareth fixed his attention on Ludo, Sir Didymus, and Hoggle.

"Now what to do with you three.." he stated amused.

"It is no worry, your majesty. Now that we know our sweet Sarah is safe, we will return to the castle to meet with thee later." Came the high-pitched voice of Sarah's foxy friend.

"Yeah. Besides, I's still gots to take care of all the fairys..." Hoggle mumbled grumpily. Turning towards Sarah, a friendly spark lit up his eyes. "But if you need us..."

Sarah smiled and gazed at her three dearest friends with tenderness. "Don't worry, I'll call." she finished with a smile.

Nodding his head, Hoggle cast one more look at Sarah and Jareth before he turned in the direction leading out of the forest. Ludo and Sir Didymus were hard on his heels as they too cast supportive glances at their friend before leaving the clearing.

The last thing Sarah and Jareth heard before they had truly gone was Sir Didymus speaking to Ludo about finding where Ambrosius had gone off to.

Chuckling at her thoughts, Sarah didn't notice the Goblin King behind her until his voice found its' way into her ear.

"And what, may I ask, is so humorous?" he murmured.

Jade eyes shining with laughter Sarah told him what was on her mind. "I was just laughing at myself. And to think, both me and Laura thought I was going to have a boring, uneventful summer."

Hands wrapped around her hips and Jareth turned Sarah around so that they were facing each other.

Lost in the intensity of his eyes, Sarah asked breathlessly, "So what happens now?"

Smiling crookedly, Jareth answered. "Now we have forever."

Face shining with merriment, Sarah couldn't help but tease the Goblin King. "I don't know Jareth...forever is an awfully long time."

Smirking at her reply, Jareth muttered lovingly, "Oh but that's where you're wrong precious. You see, forever's not long at all."

Slowly, he brought their lips together, and once more, they lost themselves in their kiss.

**Alas, all good things must come to an end! Please please please PLEASE review and let me know what you thought of my 1st fic! **

**Ps. My new fic should be posted by Wednesday, so be on the lookout! (I'm soooo excited!)**


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